The present invention relates generally to medical treatment systems and, more particularly, to medical canister connectors and methods.
In a number of medical applications, fluids, such as blood, ascites, and exudates from wounds, are removed from a patient and need to be stored for disposal or processing. The removal of these fluids may be the primary purpose of a treatment or a secondary result. For example, in many surgical procedures, it is common to apply suction to remove blood. As another example, in applying reduced-pressure therapy, or negative pressure wound therapy, fluids are removed and must be stored or processed.
The removed fluids are often stored in medical canisters. The medical canisters receive fluids from the patient and receive suction, or reduced pressure, from a reduced-pressure source. The canisters come in varying sizes and designs. The canisters typically need changing or removal on a regular basis. Existing systems for attaching a reduced-pressure source to a canister and for attaching a patient conduit to the canister require considerable attention with the possibility of significant error existing.